Healthy diet linked to lesser birth defects

In a recent study, conducted on several pregnant women. Those mothers who have a healthier diet lessens their chances of bringing up babies with birth abnormalities.

Researchers discovered that there are fewer babies born with imperfections, such as neural tube defects whenever they said mother-to-be is following a strict diet such as a Mediterranean diet — high in beans, fruits, fish and grains, and low in dairy, meat and sweets — or the U.S’ food guide pyramid principles for a healthy diet.

One of the researchers, who work on the study, Suzan Carmichael says there are many birth defects, which include neural tube defects, take place at an early stages in pregnancy, even prior to the women knowing that they are pregnant.

The best assurance that a mother-to- would bring in a healthy baby is to eat a variety of foods, which includes lots of fruit, vegetables and grain, and drinking vitamin a vitamin supplement containing folic acid.

Low levels of folate throughout pregnancy associated to the brain and spinal birth defects in the late 1990s. Back then pregnant women got advised to take a prenatal vitamin rich in folic acid and iron.

Carmichael and her associates are wondering if the effect if pregnant women are going to a healthy balanced diet as getting extra vitamins and minerals by means of supplements. They used information that they obtained from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study in comparing around 3,400 women who had a baby with a neural tube defect or a cleft lip or palate, and 6,100 women haven born babies that did not show any signs of birth defects.

Each of the participants monitored by means of phone interview during the two years period.

Researchers inquired about the daily diet of the pregnant women. After getting some data, they have analyzed how closely women had abided by the so-called “Mediterranean diet” or the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Guide Pyramid.

After taking into account the weight of the women, the vitamins that they are taking, drinking habits k, Carmichael and her colleagues come into a conclusion that those who more closely followed healthy diet has less risk of having babies with birth defects.

Especially, women with a diet closely that matches the USDA Food Guide Pyramid the risk reduce to half to give birth to a baby with missing part of its brain and skull — a birth defect called anencephaly – compared to women whose not following the guidelines. The risk also significantly reduced to 34 percent of having a baby with cleft lip and 26 percent less likely of having a baby with cleft palate.